Tacx Flux FE-C ERG Problems

[Mark M]

I read the FAQ "Troubleshooting TacX Device FE-C connection" and I turn off Bluetooth on my phone.

, I read that GC can control my smart trainer, but I can't. get it to work,

I can control the resistance with Tacx software, Zwift, Trainerroad etc

I add Devices with FE-C and select unused for all other items, it's ok, in training view a can see all info power, cadence, speed, etc... but GoldenCheetah doesn't control the resistance of my smart trainer.

GoldenCheetah 3.5 is installed onWindows 10 with a USB ANT+ Antenna

I don't know what I must do to control my smart trainer with GC.

Thanks

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

If you search “Tacx Flux” in this group you will several users reporting this and some solutions, here is a detailed explanation which worked for the OP: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/golden-cheetah-users/kXKi918X4ok/ggI0Ys5kAQAJ

[Mark M]

Thanks, Ale for your reply.

I followed the suggestions in the link you provided, but GC is still not controlling mytrainer.

The manual slope mode does not work either.

Here is a link to the erg file https://pastebin.com/RNGSHaRW

And here is a link to the GC output file https://pastebin.com/3ZUD1yuB

Here is the contents of the trainer config file https://pastebin.com/djgKBWNJ

I have paired and repaired the trainer many times now and it still wont control the trainer..

Thanks again

Mark

[Frank Wechsel]

Have you paired it correctly?
As mentioned from Ale, you have to pair it 3 times!

1) as Power (Flux)
2) as Speed + Cadence (Flux)
3) as Fitness Equipment Control (Flux)

Most important for controlling ist 3)!

[Mark M]

Hi Frank,

Thanks for your help, just to try and get to the bottom of the problem I have selected unused on all devices except the FE-C device as in the screenshot on my OP.

I am not sure what could be the problem now, as it works perfectly on other software, seems very strange.

Cheers

Mark

[Gewekiner]

Hi Mark,

I have the same Problem as you with my Flux 2 (posted at 1.Feb, Dec 2019), do you also see the red note "brake fault" when you are pedaling.

greetings

Gewekiner

[Mark M]

Hi Gewekiner

no I am not seeing the red note 'Break Fault', but I am convinced there is a problem with the software.

I have since tried switching the channel which FE-C is pairing the trainer on in GC to alternative channels. but this has made no difference either.

Cheers

Mark

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

Have you checked goldencheetah.log, parallel to your athlete’s folder, looking for reported errors?

[Mark M]

Hi Ale,

Yes I have checked, there are no reported errors.

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

El lunes, 17 de febrero de 2020, 17:17:52 (UTC-3), Mark M escribió:

Hi Gewekiner

no I am not seeing the red note 'Break Fault', but I am convinced there is a problem with the software.

GC code to control FE-C devices is generic, not specific to the Flux and it is working with other trainers, even other Tacx Flux models as reported by other users.

A possibility is there was some change in the Tacx Flux firmware at some point which made it incompatible with GC, it would be interesting to know from current users which firmware versions (or at least models) of the Tacx Flux  are working and which are not.

A more general consideration is the difficulty (impossibility?) to give support for cases like this without access to the specific hardware.

[Mark M]

Hi Ale,

My Tacx Flux is running the latest firmware 3.3.40 / 1.13

I understand what you are saying about potential firmware changes, but surely if that was the case based on the law of averages other software would also have suffered the same problem, but this is not the case.

One thing I was interested in trying is GC 3.4 x64 but the link is dead, it would make sense to rule this out as it is a fairly new release and if I am correct there was changes to FE-C made,
If there is anything I can do to help with testing please just let me know as I have a technical background and have done some programming in the past.

Cheers

Mark

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

El martes, 18 de febrero de 2020, 18:23:40 (UTC-3), Mark M escribió:

Hi Ale,

My Tacx Flux is running the latest firmware 3.3.40 / 1.13

I understand what you are saying about potential firmware changes

There was an specific case which seems to confirm this hypothesis: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/golden-cheetah-users/pLOY4zhcb_8/DhadhZXfCAAJ

 

, but surely if that was the case based on the law of averages other software would also have suffered the same problem, but this is not the case.

May be the change didn't affected them or they had the resources to make the necessary adaptations and testing, which we haven't got, yet.

[Mark M]

Tacx Flux S in that post is the upgraded model of the original Flux which is what I have.

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

El lunes, 17 de febrero de 2020, 17:17:52 (UTC-3), Mark M escribió:

Hi Gewekiner

no I am not seeing the red note 'Break Fault'

This "Brake Fault" red note will be displayed only if you have an active video with overlay widgets, it doesn't appear otherwise.

If you don't have one, can you try adding a Video Window (using Add Chart) and reproducing any video in the Train session?

[Mark M]

Hi Ale.

Unfortunately, I could not reproduce the 'Break Fault' error via the video window.

If there was a 'Break Fault' wouldn't it appear in the log file anyway?

Is there no way to output the FE-C communication between the paired devices to the log file?

Cheers

Mark

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

El miércoles, 19 de febrero de 2020, 19:20:15 (UTC-3), Mark M escribió:

Hi Ale.

Unfortunately, I could not reproduce the 'Break Fault' error via the video window.

If there was a 'Break Fault' wouldn't it appear in the log file anyway?

No, currently it is not logged nor displayed in the status window, we should fix this. When video overlays are active it will be displayed on the upper left corner, where the Ready (which is not actually displayed, same with the altitude profile):

 

Is there no way to output the FE-C communication between the paired devices to the log file?

ANT+ communication is logged to antlog.raw in the athlete's folder, but it is not easy to read.

[Mark M]

I have finally replicated the brake fault error, please see screenshot below.

Brake Fault Screenshot

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

El jueves, 20 de febrero de 2020, 7:15:23 (UTC-3), Mark M escribió:

I have finally replicated the brake fault error, please see screenshot below.

Brake Fault Screenshot

Thanks, let's track this issue in https://github.com/GoldenCheetah/GoldenCheetah/issues/3319

It will be interesting for users which are successfully using a Tacx Flow with trainer control via GoldenCheetah to comment which model/firmware/os are they using.

[Marcin Trzewik]

1 Tacx flux S serial nr 64636  - to egzemplarz, work properly with ANT+  Goldenchetach 3.4  firmware ??? (mechanical damage flywheel. For complaints)

 

 2 Tacx flux S serial nr 4263 i doesnt work  ERG with ANT+  Goldenchetach 3.4 firmware 1.1.3 (New trainer received)

Garmin Poland (tacx) is not interested in this problem

Replay:

"I have consulted your problem with Tacx engineers and I presented their position to you in the previous message.

Also here, please do not look for a problem in the equipment, because the application you mention Golden Cheetach has no recommendation on our part to use it with Tacx.

From their side, there was not even a technical query for configuration files, software version, etc.

Marty

W dniu wtorek, 18 lutego 2020 19:16:10 UTC+1 użytkownik Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me) napisał:

W poniedziałek, 17 lutego 2020, 17:17:52 (UTC-3), Mark M napisał:

Cześć Gewekiner

nie, nie widzę czerwonej notatki „Break Fault”, ale jestem przekonany, że wystąpił problem z oprogramowaniem.

Kod GC do sterowania urządzeniami FE-C jest ogólny, nie jest specyficzny dla Fluxa i współpracuje z innymi trenerami, nawet z innymi modelami Tacx Flux zgłoszonymi przez innych użytkowników.

Możliwe, że nastąpiła pewna zmiana w oprogramowaniu Tacx Flux w pewnym momencie, co spowodowało, że był on niezgodny z GC. Ciekawe byłoby wiedzieć od obecnych użytkowników, które wersje oprogramowania (lub przynajmniej modele) Tacx Flux działają, a które nie .

Bardziej ogólną kwestią jest trudność (niemożność?) Zapewnienia wsparcia dla takich przypadków bez dostępu do konkretnego sprzętu.

 

Od tamtej pory próbowałem zmienić kanał, w którym FE-C paruje trener w GC, z kanałami alternatywnymi. ale to też nie ma znaczenia.

Twoje zdrowie

znak

W poniedziałek, 17 lutego 2020 r. 19:16:21 UTC, Gewekiner napisał:

Cześć Mark,

Mam ten sam problem, co ty z moim Fluxem 2 (opublikowanym 1 lutego, grudzień 2019), czy widzisz również czerwoną notatkę „usterka hamulca” podczas pedałowania.

Pozdrowienia

Gewekiner

W poniedziałek, 17 lutego 2020 13:46:53 UTC + 1 Mark M napisał:

Cześć Frank

Dziękuję za pomoc, tylko po to, aby przejść do sedna problemu, który wybrałem nieużywany na wszystkich urządzeniach oprócz urządzenia FE-C, jak na zrzucie ekranu na moim OP.

Nie jestem pewien, co może być teraz problemem, ponieważ działa idealnie na innym oprogramowaniu, wydaje się bardzo dziwne.

Twoje zdrowie

znak

W poniedziałek, 17 lutego 2020 10:42:48 UTC, Frank Wechsel napisał:

Czy sparowałeś go poprawnie?
Jak wspomniano w Ale, musisz go sparować 3 razy!

1) jako moc (strumień)
2) jako prędkość + kadencja (strumień)
3) jako kontrola sprzętu fitness (strumień)

Najważniejsze do kontrolowania to 3) !

W poniedziałek, 17 lutego 2020 1:26:37 UTC + 1, Mark M napisał:

Dziękuję Ale za twoją odpowiedź.

Postępowałem zgodnie z sugestiami podanymi przez ciebie link, ale GC nadal nie kontroluje Mytrainera.

Ręczny tryb nachylenia również nie działa.

Oto link do pliku erg  https://pastebin.com/ RNGSHaRW

A tutaj jest link do pliku wyjściowego GC  https://pastebin.com/ 3ZUD1yuB

Oto zawartość pliku konfiguracyjnego trenera  https://pastebin.com/ djgKBWNJ

Sparowałem i naprawiłem trener wiele razy i nadal nie kontroluje trenera ..

Dzięki jeszcze raz

znak

W niedzielę, 16 lutego 2020 r. 23:43:15 UTC, Ale Martinez (proszę nie pisać e-mailem lub pisz do mnie) napisał:

Jeśli przeszukasz „Tacx Flux” w tej grupie, zobaczysz kilku użytkowników zgłaszających to i niektóre rozwiązania, oto szczegółowe wyjaśnienie, które działało dla OP: https://groups.google.com/d/ msg / golden-cheetah-users / kXKi918X4ok / ggI0Ys5kAQAJ

[Marc M]

Hello

I have exactly the same problem as Mark M.

I used to own a Tacx Flux, everything worked fine with GC. Then the Flux got defective and was replaced by a Tacx Flux S (firmware 1.1.3).

Power, speed and cadence are displayed correctly in GC. But I could not get the ERG mode working, i.e. GC does not control the resistance of the Flux S although FE-C is correctly paired.

ERG mode in Tacx Trainer Software 4 works fine with the new Flux S.

I love working out with GC, so I would be very glad for any help.

Cheers

Marc

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

To summarize the current situation: Tacx Flux newer models and/or with newer firmware cannot be controlled by GoldenCheetah v3.5, if you have one better follows Tacx recommendations and look for their recommended trainer software, otherwise if you want to use GoldenCheetah v3.5 to control your trainer sessions, look for another trainer brand/model.

[Eric Christoffersen]

What about option (c): some inquisitive flux s owner figure out the issue and get it working?

Are we sure there isnt a gc issue with the fec support?

[Ale Martinez (Please don't email or cc me)]

El martes, 3 de marzo de 2020, 3:17:31 (UTC-3), Eric Christoffersen escribió:

What about option (c): some inquisitive flux s owner figure out the issue and get it working?

It would be desirable and the project is open to contributions, likely to be included in v3.6

 

Are we sure there isnt a gc issue with the fec support?

No. The open issue (https://github.com/GoldenCheetah/GoldenCheetah/issues/3319) has a summary of what we know til now, which is not too much.